I'd go with #6 and use my .45 for personal defense. Probably cheating but if you find yourself in a fair fight you didn't plan properly.

John

 

I would have to go with a #5 or #4 in a 3".

when I go hunting with my shotgun, I usually throw in a 5 count box of slugs, a 10 count box of #5 in 3". I would rather carry a couple extra pounds and not need it.

 

#6 for food and close up defense

 

I was just thinking about posting a similar question but more for universal hunting/survival situation, not defense. I'd rely on a few slug rounds (if hunting) or longer term on a pistol/long rifle for that purpose.

 

tough question. By limiting a shotgun to only one kind of ammo you give up the primary advantage of a shotgun - that being versatility.

I guess if I can have ONLY one type of shell I'd like to have size BB. We have lots of larger game around here and ducks,geese, deer, turkey, beaver, etc. would be easier to kill at some range with the larger shot than a load of #6. Plus, the BB size would still be somewhat effective on small birds and animals. That just seems like a good compromise, to me.

But really, if my shotgun ammo limitations are limited to only one load, I think I'd really prefer a light rifle instead.

 

3" 1 3/4 oz load of #5's (Fiochi Golden Pheasants) -

In a survival situation and I need to shoot a duck or goose for my survival then lead it definately on the table and I don't need to limit myself with steel loads. I can not see these having a problem killing anything that flies at a reasonable range with the possible exception of a swan.

For personal defense these will get the job done if need be, but I'm also in agreement with sjohnny ... my .45 will be on my hip and there will also probably be another smaller surprise tucked into the small of my back and/or into my boot ..... :wink:

 

Good responses so far! I hadn't thought about the BB size but that might be a good compromise. I'm thinking it would be able to kill everything from squirrels to deer, and be better than #5 shot against a charging bear or rowdy bad guy.

 

#6 for food and close up defense

I agree: I use #6 for 90% of my hunting/shooting. 1oz of #6 will give you 225 pellets. It sure knocks the squirrels out of the oak trees,dead when they hit the ground. Also my grouse,rabbit,turkey & pheasant load.

RON

 

since we are talking survival i would want a large shot like BB or buckshot. if trying to survive i would rather try to kill a deer than a duck - more food and a warm blanket. plus depending on where you are the larger shot would work better on a predator coming for you. so why not slugs, well maybe you only get a shot at smaller game or flying game, so now you won't completely destroy it and have a better chance at a kill.

 

If you only have one kind of ammo, you didn't plan properly. There is no round that is going to work very well in every situation.

that being said, if I could only have one type of shotgun ammo, I would choose #1 or #4 buck- heavy enough for defense and deer, but still small enough to do a reasonable job on small game. I would consider personal defense the most important role, so any compromise would be weighted to the heavier side.

Still, adding a 22 for light game would be a good idea, as would an assult or battle rifle for long range shots. Shotgun ammo I would carry would be medium weight bird shot, several weights of buck, and slugs.

 

In a 'back to the wall' situation and if I could only have one size of cartridge (this is assuming you are using a 12 bore) I 'd go with number 4's myself.....enough pellets for a reasonable pattern for smaller game with plenty of energy to do the job.

And if you need something with a lot more punch.....increase the versatility of these same cartridges by just score around the cartridge with a sharp blade level with the bottom of the shot column.....cut deep enough so the sides of the case is nearly through.

When fired, the top half of the cartridge seperates and goes off as if it's a solid shot....this will penetrate really well and goes off like a grenade for very effective terminal ballistics on ''any'' dangerous game or threat.

Safe shooting and successful surviving

Limey

 

If I had to have just one shell it would be Kent Fasteel #2 shot in a 3.5" load with my 870 express supermagnum @ 1650 fps. I can't imagine a more versitile round. I think it would do a number on a person, a deer, or a rabbit, and I KNOW it can handle anything that flies.

 

#7 1/2 and double O buck!
Kinda covers everything. 8)

 

Well based on about a million years of hunting experience I would use 7 1/2 or 6. Our family has hunted ducks, squirrels and rabbits for longer than most and used 7 1/2's. I have seen my dad kill a blue goose at 40 yards on the wing with just a 2 3/4" 12 gauge and 7 1/2 lead shot, stone cold dead, one shot. I have also seen him kill a snow goose on the wing at about 40 yards as well with, get this, #9 shot !!! In the good old days of lead shot when I got my 3" magnum I shot 6's 1/2 the time and 7 1/2 the other half. I think 6's gave me 5-10 more yards of killing power on long range ducks but a decent hunter knows how to get within 40 or so yards of his prey so that 7 1/2 will take them out clean. Remember 7 1/2 has almost 50% more pellet count than 6's for the same size load, that means more pellets in the kill zone...I agree with the 7 1/2 and 00 buck, that indeed will take care of just about everything, except maybe a tank..

 

I'm not sure I understand why anyone would limit themselves to one shot size.Different shot sizes will not make any differences in the overall weight and bulk of your ammo supply and even when using different load weights,the variance in overall bulk and weight will be minimal.

I certainly understand the concept of keeping things simple but in my opinion,limiting yourself in such a way with a shotgun is a step in the wrong direction.

 

Hi new to the board,
Lostdan
I have a NEF 12ga turkey gun and I take #4 and 00 buck. That is for big Game and protection only.
My critter getter ( rabbits, squirrels) is a sling shot and a bag of marbles. Its Quick, Quite, Light, and thats what I like. If you run out of marbles than clay or stone is almost every where.

I use it out galavanting in the woods so I can have the skill in a bug out situation.
Just my 2cents
Lostdan

 

I would sat #4s for everything. Or #6s and #4buck if you carried 2 types of shells.

 

5's will cover everything from squirrel to turkey. 00 buck and slugs for deer, bear, and bad guys.

 

I will reiterate the posts that spoke of the shotgun's versatility, and it is probably not a good idea to limit that versatility more that you are forced to. That being said my favorite round is 12 gauge, 2 3/4 in, 1 oz of 6 shot. It's done the job on pheasant, rabbit, squirrel, grouse, and an occasional woodcock. It's done a good job, along with conservative shot selection. I'm working through my 60 year old memory cells, which are fuzzy, but I can remember losing a a handful of game, I bet there's more but not a lot. My point is it knocks them down and good. It's probably a little weak for turkey and I never tried waterfowl, and maybe not enough pellets for dove. But in a SURVIVAL situation, I wouldn't waste ammo on dove, and I would probably use a 22 for turkey, maybe a 22 for waterfowl but that's speculation. As far as protection I would give myself the luxury of some buckshot, or a handgun, or a pitbull, or a couple of buddies, but my main strategy would be discretion. In a world turned upside down there are no rematches, you're undefeated or not around anymore. Check how many boxers retired undefeated and you will realize some very, very, tough men still lost a fight in their time. Makes me glad I can blog about situations like this in front of the fireplace and a beer in my hand but not have to live through it.

 

Win 2.75" 1.5 Ounce 1260fps Super X Copper-Plated #4 Lead Turkey Load.
Less than $7.00 per box of 10 at Wal-Mart.

Stout, with a decent # of pellets. Good patterns to 40 Yards. Good killing power for wild game. Nobody would want to get hit by those either.

 

A shotgun is more than capable of being an only survival weapon. As for shot size if factory loads are a requirement I would use an 1 1/8 - 1 1/4oz of #6 lead. The #6 shot can take any bird species in North America and by modifying the shell ie. cut shell or a wax slug you are good for personal defense and big game hunting. If reloads are possible I like the concept of high velocity #9 lead shot because it is not a compromise for any bird you would like to shoot.

 

Buy cheap birdshot or target loads. you can always convert them to wax slugs when our economy inevitably collapses catastropically.
Do a search for "wax shotgun slug" on youtube for more info. Also, even at $0.10 per round, stockpiling .22LR for deer hunting makes sense. Even if you're not the greatest shot, 3 or 4 rounds of .22LR is way cheaper than a slug round at $1.25ea.

 

As athers have said limiting a shotgun to 1 size shot is taking away what makes a shotgun a great all purpose gun. If I had to pick one size #6 lead 1-1/8th or 1-1/4

 

I'll throw in my $.02 worth. If I were limited to one shot size and one shot size only, I think I would choose lead #2 shot for much of the same reasons that the poster that said BB size gave. I think lead 2s would be a tad better than BB for smaller game while still being adequate for self defense at close range. Depending on the situation, I think the taking of smaller game for survival would make more sense than taking larger game such as deer and bigger. If you were by yourself and forced to be on the move for example, a lot of the deer or larger game would be wasted if you couldn't carry it or didn't have time to preserve it properly. In that situation, lead 2s would work for the smaller game while giving you big enough pellets for defensive purposes. If the situation dictated the taking of a deer or larger game, I think lead 2s could do it if the range was close (say about 10 to 15 yards) and you took a head shot. Same with defensive use against a large predator although I wouldn't want to shoot a charging grizzly in the head with those unless I absolutely had to and there were no other options. For black bear, cougar, wolf, and coyote I think lead 2s at close range would do the job. But as other's have said, limiting a shotgun to one shot size defeats the entire reason to have a shotgun for a survival situation in the first place which is versatility. In reality, any shot size between #4 buck and #4 birdshot could work as a single shot size in a survival situation if one were forced to choose just one. And since I was forced to choose one for the purposes of this thread, I chose #2.

 

I shoot 4,5, or 6s but always in a express or long range Remington Express or Estate. The heavier shot size goes through the brush better. It is rare to have a clear shot, especially in the fall. I have taken hare out to 60 yards with these rounds when they crossed roads in the winter. They are pricier but worth it in my opinion. I shoot 20 gauge but other guys in our group shoot 16 and 28 gauges as well.